InnoTrans touts "Future Mobility Park"

Modal options, some only distantly related to rail, some purportedly transcending rail, will be featured at the "Future Mobility Park" hosted by InnoTrans 2014, scheduled to take place Sept. 23-26, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.

"How can different modes of transport be connected in intelligent and environmentally friendly ways? How can people's transport needs in mega-cities be solved in a space-saving and efficient manner? These are fascinating questions prompting solutions that are both creative and visionary," InnoTrans said in a statement Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014.

Featured are three "forward-looking transport projects" in the Mobility Park.

Studio Globe will present Horizon, a transport system of the future seeking to eliminate delays by connecting different modes of transport. According to design engineer Ewan Alston passengers would enter Horizon through an airport hub, a so-called SkyStation. There they would board a pod to transport them to the outskirts of the city where they would then take a SkyShip, a fully electric and autonomous aircraft. "What is unique about Horizon is that it connects ground and air traffic in a seamless and dynamic way," says Alston.

Jpods will present a concept for a privately funded mobility network in Secaucus, N.J. "The Jpods mass transit system will carry passengers and freight in ultra-light, robotic, podcar vehicles that are computer-controlled and run on elevated rails," says Bill James, managing director of Jpods. It is intended to operate at only 10% of the energy required by cars, buses, and trains. "Furthermore, solar panels mounted above the rails will collect sufficient energy to run the network without any need for external energy sources," says James.

TubularRail's vision of public transit system features a high speed vehicle that travels above ground through rings supported on concrete pedestals. The rings house engines and rollers that drive, guide, and stabilize the vehicle at low speeds, as well as flywheels for operating at higher speeds. According to Joaquin Garza, managing director of TubularRail Development, "this concept is suitable for high-speed travel between cities and represents affordable urban public transport."